The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike has approved the employment of 34 resident doctors for a fixed seven-year residency training programme.
The approval marks the first phase of the recruitment of 60 medical residency trainees across eight faculties and specialties in FCTA hospitals.
According to a statement issued on Wednesday by Lere Olayinka, the Senior Special Assistant to the FCT minister on Public Communications and Social Media, the initiative is a pioneering effort to strengthen the medical workforce beyond the usual employment scope of the FCT Health Management Board.
“This is the first time this is being done outside the employees of the health management board, thereby giving doctors more opportunity and bringing more competent hands into healthcare delivery in the FCT,” Olayinka stated.
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The newly employed doctors are distributed across various medical fields, with five in psychiatry, four in internal medicine, one in genernal surgery, one in anesthesiology, eight in family medicine, six in ophthalmology, and nine in obstetrics and gynecology.
Olayinka further revealed that the FCTA Civil Service Commission will soon initiate the recruitment process for the remaining 26 resident doctors.
The forthcoming recruitment will include one doctor in psychiatry, four in internal medicine, eight in general surgery, five in anesthesiology, and eight in pediatrics.
“The approval and recruitment process are part of broader efforts by the FCT administration to improve healthcare services and ensure access to quality medical care for residents,” the statement said.